EN version:

Do you miss Christmas, guys? I am about to take you to a place which will bring the fond memories of Christmas time right back to you.

Welcome to Rovaniemi in Lapland!

The magic land by the Arctic Circle filled with reindeer, lots of snow, Father Christmas, snowmobile, huskies, elves, log fires and many other fabulous things.

It is personally my most favourite part of Finland for me. Where else can you experience the Christmas atmosphere and meet Santa Claus all year round? 🙂

I have visited this unique place during snowy winter days. Despite the cold temperatures down below zero, I was absolutely stunned by this place and its charms. There are many things which you can do there. So, here I am to tell you what I explored and experienced in Rovaniemi, so if you ever decide visiting this charming place, you will know where is worth setting your foot and what is worth trying out.

Reindeer Sleigh Ride at the Santa Claus Village

Probably my most memorable adventure of Lapland was the reindeer sleigh ride at the Santa Village. If you know the Russian fairy-tale “The Story of King Frost”, the scenery there, was very similar to the one from the story. Such magical fairy-tale views! You must see it and try it on your own. 🙂

There are different options of the rides, you can choose from 400 m up to 3000 m long (the prices also vary from 18 EUR up to 65 EUR).

Arktikum

Arktikum in Ronaviemi is an Arctic museum. If you are interested in the Arctic indigenous people´s lives, their culture and arctic environment, you will love it there. You can spend hours wandering round the exhibition area. You can see a normal museum display window exhibitions, as well as, very engaging, interactive and playful exhibitions, which shows you many things about the Arctic life and environment in an attractive way. You can be listening to audio notes, watching different short-movies or simply reading. One of my favourite parts about this museum was the Northern Light projection.

+ the museum is an ultra-modern building with gorgeous architecture, one more reason to go and check this place out

Santa Claus Office

If you ever found yourself in Rovaniemi, you can´t miss the opportunity of visiting the Santa Claus Office and meeting the “real” Santa there. Make sure you have a lovely brief chat with him as he speaks several languages, and if you really wanna make it an absolutely memorable experience, you might take a picture with him,too (just be prepared you might pay quite hefty amount for it). You can also use the possibility to make someone else happy by sending a postcard or a letter with the official Santa Claus Office stamp.

Husky Park

A must do for any dog, especially husky, lovers! This is an awesome experience, where you can pet and see dozens of huskies all gathered in one place. You can also get more info about this breed and see a real husky training. A good experience is a husky sled ride, although, the price for the ride is quite enormous. You can choose 2 types of rides, 2km (35 EUR) or 5km (55 EUR). According to my own experience, I would rather take a longer reindeer sleigh ride as it was a way more powerful experience, because you actually have the time to take the whole experience in. Husky Sled rides are obviously way faster, so your experience of a 2km ride is going to be shrink into 2 minutes. Nevertheless, it is still a great adventure to do at the Arctic Circle.

Take a stroll through the Lordi’s Square

When leaving the city of Rovaniemi, don´t forget to stop by its beautifully decorated city centre especially during the Christmas time, or even take a stroll there in summer months, as there are plenty of nice shops to buy great Finnish arctic souvenirs. You can also take a bite in one of the many restaurants there. The cheapest option are the Chinese restaurants. Nevertheless, I also recommend trying local specialities such as a reindeer burger.

I was lucky enough to visit this magic Arctic Land twice, and each time was a real treat. I wouldn´t mind to go there even again, as the atmosphere during the Christmas time is just absolutely surreal. I´m more than sure, that I will never forget the childish joy and excitement you are able to experience there. I hope that my photos will give you at least a hint of the real feelings and vibe of this special place.

Have you ever visited Arctic Circle, or have you ever been to Finland, too? What was your favourite place there? Let me know in the comments or send me a DM.